99: Chapter 99 An Unexpected Opponent

Despite the heavy barrage of insults, Tang Long remained in the octagonal cage, and betting continued as usual; it seemed nothing had changed.

In reality, however, not many people were betting on Tang Long to win this round, and even those who did kept their stakes small.

Qin Bing stood by the edge of the cage, his gaze coldly fixed on Tang Long. Though he looked as if he harbored a deep hatred, he was actually very worried for him.

Because this turn of events was not part of the plan at all.

The plan was for him to enter the third match and defeat Tang Long.

But now... though Tang Long was strong and had hidden quite a bit of his true power, could he really defeat a guy like this?

At that moment, A Xin walked over to him and patted his shoulder. "You usually don't gamble, kid, but you've got a good head on your shoulders. No one can keep winning here forever; this match should let you vent that frustration."

"Is that big oaf guaranteed to win?"

"Heh, just watch and you'll see."

The bell rang, and the battle began.

Ao Gu had long been unable to restrain himself. He strode toward Tang Long, his fan-like hands reaching straight for the top of Tang Long's head.

Tang Long ducked, sliding under the man's armpit. With a turn, he was already behind the giant, delivering a heavy punch directly into Ao Gu's soft ribs.

Ao Gu merely let out a soft grunt and suddenly spun around with a horizontal sweep. Tang Long couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying, crashing into the cage mesh. When he hit the ground, a trace of blood was already visible at the corner of his mouth.

Tang Long's expression was grim, but he was sneering inwardly as he opened his eyes to confirm the opponent's strength.

[Ao Gu: Hetero-blood Species]

[Faction: Hot-Blooded Gang]

[Realm: Second Stage Qi Manipulation]

[Health: 19921/19921]

[Psionic Energy: 250/256]

[Attributes: Strength 45, Agility 14, Spirit 5, Endurance 15, Spirituality 5]

[Cultivation Method: -]

[Skills: Bone Armor, Bone Spikes]

Eighty percent of the bones under this guy's skin had formed a shell.

With immense strength, high health, and high defense, he had actually reached the second stage without even having a Breathing Method. He was quite the freakish talent.

Clearly, the Hot-Blooded Arena hadn't honored the 'two wins, one loss' agreement. They wanted to take him out in the second round, which is why they sent out such a thing.

As for his other attributes, they were a total mess. With only 5 points in Spirit, his brain was probably no bigger than his eyeballs.

Furthermore, facing such an opponent wasn't entirely a bad thing.

If he always won without any suspense, the audience would gradually lose interest.

Only suspense could stir their nerves and hormones; a hard-fought victory would leave a deeper impression on them.

Therefore, he had intentionally taken that hit just now.

Sure enough, someone below the stage immediately cheered him on, "Keep it up, Tie Pao!"

"You're faster than him! Don't go head-to-head with that big guy!"

"No need for sportsmanship with a thing like that! Gouge his eyes! Kick his balls!"

"Get up!"

Tang Long almost laughed out loud.

He glanced at Ao Gu's vitals and was surprised to find that the guy didn't even have those parts. His physiological structure was completely different from a human's; even that area was protected by Bone Armor.

For the sake of ultimate defense, had his reproductive ability even mutated away?

Truly a pervert.

However, the fans' tactics could indeed be put to use; it should be quite a show.

Tang Long immediately stood up. As Ao Gu lunged again, he performed a diving forward roll, once more ending up behind him. Then, he swung his long leg and kicked toward the giant's crotch.

He was a man who listened to advice!

As expected, the moment he kicked, the sound of people sharply inhaling breath rose from below the stage.

Not only did the women quickly turn their faces away, not daring to look, but even the men who saw this couldn't help but feel a phantom pain down below.

But...

Thump!

Although the kick landed solidly, the giant acted as if he hadn't felt a thing. He turned around and instead revealed a terrifying smile.

"Ho—ly—crap!"

"He took a kick to a place like that and he's fine?"

"Is this guy even human?"

"Tie Pao is tough, but he's met a man with iron balls. I'm afraid things aren't looking good for him."

"Don't just stand there! Dodge!"

On the stage, Tang Long seemed to be paralyzed with fear, standing there dazed. The enraged Ao Gu suddenly swung his hand back, knocking him to the ground with a single slap.

Immediately after, the giant clenched his massive hands into hammer-like fists and began smashing them down frantically.

Cries of alarm instantly erupted from around the octagonal cage.

The two girls, Ming Qi and Wang Rongrong, had already covered their faces, not daring to look any longer.

Qin Bing was also stunned. He felt that... not only would they fail to make money today, but Tang Long might even lose his life on the stage.

Even Bao Xiong, standing by the stage, couldn't help but take a step forward, wanting to intervene. But after just one step, he stopped.

Because he saw that Tang Long, lying on the stage, had actually used a side roll at the critical moment to avoid the lethal Heavy Strike.

Immediately after, Tang Long grabbed Ao Gu's thick right arm and, with a backflip, actually climbed onto him. After two swings like a monkey, Tang Long's legs were locked around Ao Gu's shoulders, and he freed his hands to rain blows down on the giant's head.

A roar of cheers instantly erupted from below the stage.

"What happened? I didn't see clearly, what just happened?"

"I didn't see it either, I was scared to death just now."

"Don't ask! Just know that Tie Pao is freaking awesome!"

"Hit him! Hit him! Kill him for me!"

Tang Long's rapid punches fell like raindrops on Ao Gu's head, making his skull thud continuously.

Ao Gu staggered about like a drunkard, his large hands flailing wildly, tearing Tang Long's clothes and leaving bloody claw marks on his body.

After the two had been entangled for over half a minute, Ao Gu simply threw his massive body backward onto the ground. Tang Long was also slammed heavily into the floor, spitting out another large mouthful of blood.

The scene suddenly went quiet, so quiet that breathing could be heard.

Until Tang Long was the first to sit up and spit out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

The cheers roared out once again like thunder.

Tang Long struggled to pull his waist and legs out from under Ao Gu, then whistled, flipped over, and smashed a punch into Ao Gu's face.

Then another punch, and another, and another.

After taking over a dozen punches, Ao Gu also rolled over to try and crawl up, but Tang Long immediately stepped forward and pinned him down with a knee, his fists continuing to fall, getting faster and faster.

Ao Gu flailed his arms wildly, but Tang Long ducked to dodge and stayed close, continuing his rapid assault.

In this way, Ao Gu struggled and resisted, becoming more and more violent, but Tang Long was always able to neutralize his attacks in the most effective way and continue attacking his head with rapid punches.

Wave after wave of cheers came from the audience, and Tang Long's punching speed grew faster and faster, eventually turning into a blur of shadows.

Eventually, Ao Gu had no power left to fight back and was completely grounded and pummeled. By the time the Hot-Blooded Gang staff rushed into the cage to forcibly separate Tang Long, the atmosphere was nothing short of fanatical.

At this moment, although Tang Long was covered in blood and looked battered...

...whichever direction he faced, thunderous applause would break out.

He circled the octagonal cage again and again, acknowledging his fanatical followers, and when he saw certain people, he showed off quite arrogantly.

For example, he gave Qin Bing a pinky-down gesture.

Qin Bing's face was terrifyingly dark. He turned back and once again approached A Xin, who was currently paying out losses.

A Xin gave him a sideways glance. "What? I told you before to be careful not to lose your entire family fortune, but you just wouldn't listen."

Qin Bing shook his head. "I want to borrow money."

"Borrow money?"

The so-called 'borrowing money' referred to taking out high-interest loans.

This was a common business in arena casinos, and the Hot-Blooded Gang was naturally no exception.

"Yes! I should have a one-million-yuan credit limit with the company. I want to borrow it all."

"Are you freaking crazy? If you lose, how are you going to pay it back?"

With bloodshot eyes, Qin Bing slammed a crystal-clear yuan spirit stone onto the table in front of him and growled, "Add this to it! Tell Brother Shan that I'm fighting this match, and I'm betting the whole million on myself to win. If I lose, my life belongs to the company!"